Can something so broken be healed
by I-Get-Bored
Summary: Ryan Atwood physically abused and neglected by family. Keeps crossing paths with Cohens. Starts when aged 4 carried throgh to early teens. Can the Cohens save Ryan from the horors of his home life? Bad a summaries, sorry. CHAPTER 2 UP :
1. Chapter 1

Dawn Atwood was sprawled put on the couch shrouded by the musky smell of alcohol. Her makeup smeared and hair awry; she was dead to the world. Her youngest son stood admits the empty bottles at his mother's side shaking her gently.

"Mommy, please wake up, mommy are you ok?" his quiet voice shook from lack of use, yet, a tentative kindness seeped from it.

He receives no more than a grunt in response to his persistent gentle shakes. Dawn's arm untangled from her position and wandered aimlessly swatting almost as if to turn off the annoyingly shrill sound of an alarm clock. Except in this case it was no alarm clock, merely a boy of four years old desperately calling his mum.

He had tousled sandy blonde hair and blue eyes so perceptive they seemed to pierce into your very soul. His name was Ryan Atwood.

Sensing his mum's agitation Ryan stopped looking around nervously at a loss at what to do. His mum was often like this. Ryan knew his mum wouldn't wake up until midday if she drank the nasty stuff in the bottles or set fire to the leafy papery thing and smoked it.

But last night had been different; she had been sniffing icky white adult sherbet, but it was getting late and darker and she still wasn't waking up. His tummy was starting to ache and rumble so he decided to try and make his own food.

With all his strength he heaved an old garden chair up to the counter and managed, with extreme difficulty, to drag himself on it. From there he scaled the side until he stood on the counter, about to open the cupboard. When … **SMASH**!

About eight bowls slid out of the cupboard propelling towards the floor, colliding and smashing into every surface in the vicinity. Ryan slipped off the counter landing heavily on the floor, mercifully missing the broken bowls. Choking back tears he turned to his mum simply turned over grumbling, still in deep slumber.

But then Dawn's bedroom door flung open violently, ricocheting into the wall with a menacing crash. And there stood AJ in all his brutish glory, 6"3, muscular, tattooed with strong air of rough cruelty about him.

"What the fuck are you doing you stupid prick, I was fucking sleeping" he growled bleary eyed.

"I- I- I-m saw'ry. I re-re-really d-d-did-didnn't me-mean to. It wa-was an ac-ac, an a-aci-aci-acid-den-t" Ryan stuttered terror rooting him to the stop, tears welling up in his innocent eyes.

"Not with the fucking stammering shit again you fucking twat. Clear it fucking up, ya' hear me boy"

Ryan nodded, wincing as he stood up, he reached for a bowl until a sharp corner nipped his hand, causing it to bleed. He let out an involuntary yell of pain.

Without warning AJ stormed towards Ryan's cowering figure and grabbed the front of his ill fitting t-shirt aggressively.

He began slapping and punching Ryan's face again and again, each hit sending Ryan's head spinning. The sound of each hit increasing until Ryan was left, barely conscious in AJ's grip. His face was a mess, his eyes puffy his cheeks yellowing with bruised, his lip cut and blood streaming from his nose.

AJ dragged his face closer until it was centimetres away from Ryan's, whose eyes were barely open, fluttering restlessly.

"Watch what your fucking doing next time boy"

Ryan nodded trembling.

AJ just threw him to the ground carelessly laughing and walked off to grab another beer leaving Ryan with silent tears streaming down his cheeks. Unbeknownst that this would be the first beating of many.

A few days later….

Kirsten Cohen was as open minded as they come but walking through the streets of Chino always made her uncomfortable. Simply because Sandy was on his moral crusade, this week's people to be saved; Chino's homeless. Now she had to trek all the way round these streets, sticking out like a sore thumb, to find some ridiculous homeless shelter where her godforsaken husband was.

But then she suddenly pictured her husband's excited face whenever he realised he could make a difference. The way his eyes lit up, that made her smile more than anything. The buggy was becoming increasingly harder to push up hill so she stopped momentarily to catch her breath.

Seth was asleep in his Jedi costume, sleeping was the only reverie from his continuous chatter. His chatter frustrated most people but was simply adored by Kirstin and Sandy.

Then out of the corner of her eye she saw a little blonde boy, sitting alone in a dilapidated garden. He was clutching a grubby rabbit staring at the ground so his face was almost obscured from view. He looked so lonely that Kirsten couldn't help but say hello.

"Erm hello, are you ok" Kirsten enquired, her voice gentle.

The little boy's head snapped up nervously his face sporting obvious remnants of bruises, he looked startled and confused. He backed away tripping over his feet and landing in a heap, grazing his knee. Kirsten found it troubling that he barely even acknowledged the cut, Seth would have bawled, but continued to stare distrustfully.

"It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you, what's your name" Kirsten said feeling extreme pity for this scared little boy.

"R-r-ry-ryan" he said in an unsure voice that was barely audible.

Before Kirsten could say another word a burly aggressive man stormed into the garden. He face was lined with unfathomable, yet misplaced rage.

"What ya' gawking at, go on, fuck off"

Startled and concerned for Seth's safety Kirsten rushed off, not before she saw the large man roughly grab the small boy off his feet by his arm. And with complete disregard to his safety dragged him behind him.

Please review …. NEXT CHAPTER … 6 YEARS ON.


	2. Chapter 2

**Kerschi-Puky**** – **Thank you very much. And it seems harsh, I know and I hate hurting Ryan but I'm afraid to say the older he gets the worse it gets. 

**tcsportsmed7****- **Good ! Good ! Good! :D. I was really desperate for a new ryan sandy fic so I wrote one myself. The chapters after this one will have a LOT more Ryan Sandy . I'm sorry about knowing from experience. I will keep writing. I love your review ! 

**jhhhhjfjk89**** – **I'm really glad and heres my next post.

**Juniper 294 – **Thank you ! Heres me continuing 

**Nadine**- Thankyou Thankyou  And here you go, It gets better after his chapter, I needed a connecter 

**Linoria – ****I'm glad I hope it's ok !**

**OTHgirl2010 – **A bit blunt, but yeah.

**Chiclete – **Thank you and I'll try ! 

**ParisAmy- **Me too , I hope it goes somewhere good . Yes I agree! Though to be fair I think Seth would look equally as fine in a Jedi costume now.

……………………………..

Ryan shifted uncomfortably the floor, his whole body on fire, desperate for the seemingly impossible comfort. He lay awake most nights, aching for sleep, but prevented from doing so by the constant ramifications of beatings. He could almost deal with the pain and the hatred that seeped from AJ's eyes if his mother cared for him. But all he got was indifference, she just stood and watched, and to Ryan that hurt more than any beating. Though Ryan reassured himself time and time again that if AJ was gone, his mum would love him, and this kept him above ground. For now. But what AJ had done tonight was unforgivable, shame though, that Ryan had to pay so severely for it.

_**Flashback to earlier in the evening**_

_Ryan quietly opened the door desperate not to be heard and with the simple intent of seeking solace in his bedroom. This was the first time the teachers hadn't enquired about his fresh injuries, perhaps they had given up. He had made a small to scale model of a house today in tech today and was carefully cradling it in his hands when his clumsiness again got the better of him. Tripping over a stack of pizza boxes he hurtled into the counter with a dull thud the model flying out of his hands. _

_A dull sleepy grunt like snore came from the couch, and then silence. Ryan inwardly sighed with relief until he saw his mother. She was a mess, obviously passed out drunk, sick and alcohol smeared across her top. Her mascara was clumped around here eyes, tear streaks overriding the heavy set orange foundation. Her skirt was hitched around her waist and her knickers around her knees. _

_But then he saw something that made him scream in fury, on his mothers face, was a black eye rendering it swollen. This monster had hurt his mother._

_Without thought reason or inhibition he leaped at AJ's sleeping form on the couch and began pounding his fists on his beefy body. But honestly what could a ten year old boy do a man like this. The fight could have been likened to a butterfly attacking a lion. _

_AJ awoke with a startled and in one swift movement knocked Ryan off his body and sent him hurtling into the coffee table. Slamming his back against the hard surface causing excruciating pain to shoot up his back. He could feel the glass break on impact the shards slicing into his back. He screamed involuntarily, forgetting that any sign of distress only made the beating worse. _

_His mum's eyes blearily flitted open at the noise surveying the scene before her she just shuffled back against the wall her face unreadable and emotionless._

"_What the fucking hell are you doing you cunt, why did you attack me you worthless piece of shit" AJ roared rearing for attack._

"_Y-y-ou h-hu-hurt m-my m-m-m-moth-mother y-y-ou b-bastard" Ryan stuttered_.

_Whilst Ryan managed to stutter out his words AJ just stood back amused at the boy's futile defiance until he called him a bastard. Then he snapped._

_He leaped at Ryan first stamping on his stomach winding Ryan further then he began to mercilessly pound every part of Ryan's body with his fists. He felt his nose break on the impact his ribs fracture and teetered on the edge of consciousness. The AJ whipped on his belt hauling the already crying Ryan onto his front and began lashing every part of body he could lay his hands on. Until AJ stood up and with one vicious kick to Ryan's side sent him into immediate unconsciousness. _

Ryan opened with the sudden realisation that he needed to go to casualty. He hated the place, the questions the condescension. But the cuts from the glass weren't healing, if all the glass was even out that is. The pain he was feeling was beyond anything he had ever experienced and despite every fibre in his being protesting he managed, with extreme difficulty to haul himself onto his feet. He stopped for a second tears streaming down his face. What had he ever done to deserve this? He rose again his human survival kicking in. And almost as if the urgency was a deterrent to his clumsiness he managed to make it out his front door. Now to the hospital, if he could make it.

Kirsten Cohen heard the noise immediately despite being mid conversation, it was a yelp if pain. But not any yelp of pain. Her son's Seth. She could see Sandy's alert eyes from across the room; he too had heard the distressing noise.

Then they saw him, amongst a group of boys his age, on the floor clutching his ankle his face contorted in pain. They both in unison ran towards Seth.

"Shit, Cohen I'm sorry man. Don't be a sissy get up. And if you tell anyone it was me" Luke angry muttered at the sight of Seth's frantic parents racing towards them.

"Mrs and Mr Cohen he tripped over his feet I don't know how" Luke started cut off by Sandy.

"Seth son, are you alright"

Seth shook his head

" I think I sprained it, tripped, clutzy me" Seth said with mock bravado.

"I think we should have it checked out in casualty, you know, just as a precaution." Sandy mused, followed by Kirsten's vigorous nod still shell-shocked at her sons pain.

"But Dad, its granddad Calebs man of the year award. Despite him being an ecological villain doesn't mean we should miss it. He's mums dad" Seth receiving a small smile from Sandy.

"Seth you and Kirsten come before anything and anyone you hear me , especially this" Sandy added smiling kindly.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" Seth bantered grinning with his teeth clenched from the pain.

"Spocks dying words" muttered Kirsten still horrified at her sons pain.

"Mum, you have acceded beyond all expectations. If I die now, know I am content. God I am so proud" Seth joked.

Kirsten smiled racking her brains for something to say, then quipped "May the force be with you"

"Aw mum your making me well up, quick lets move bfore I get shot by the newport man for lack of manly conviction. Although I do cry man tears. I sort of think of myself as a Tarzan of the comic book world"

"Tarzan?" Kirsten laughed

"I'd wear a loincloth well" giggled Seth.

"Come on you fools" smiled Sandy eyes twinkling "Casualty".

**NEXT CHAPTER . WHICH RUGGISHLEY HANDOME CHINO KID WILL THE COHENS BUMP INTO IN CASULTY? HMMM 3 GUESSES **

**And perrr-leassse review. It makes me smile **** xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am unbelievable sorry about the long wait, I've been having MAJOR internet issues its been. MANIC! Illness & schoolwork too ! Arghhh. Thank you to**** EVERYONE ****that reviewed, I hope you like this chapter. Its more Cohen-point-of-view-esque ****. Enjoyy **

After arriving at casualty the Cohen's were informed they would have to wait for at least an hour, so they made themselves comfortable. Well as comfortable as you can get on a corrugated metal seat and 1 in the morning, amidst the dregs of a Saturday night on the town. Conversation had fizzled out for some time and Cohen clan sat clutching hot drinks surveying the people around them. A drunken man was being 'escorted' off the premises; he wasn't even hurt, just before he was dragged out amongst his incoherent babble he screamed.

"Elvis has left the building mother fuckers"

Seth laughed muttering 'comedy gold' under his breath whilst Sandy also gave an involuntary laugh receiving an appraising look from Kirsten.

"Look, we could make it to Orange county private clinic in 45 minutes. I don't want Seth around this" Kirsten said to Sandy agitation evident in her voice.  
"Jeez Mum I've heard things worse than that before" Seth said tenderly gently putting his hand over Kirsten's shoulder in an attempt to sooth her tension.

"I know but…" Kirsten was then cut off by Sandy, but not unkindly so.

"Kirsten stop. Every one of these doctors has been trained the same as your orange county doctors. Except these people don't just treat the rich which probably makes them a right site better than the private doctors. The OC casualty may not house the 'dregs' of society but this place most certainly has the moral high ground. So come on Kirst, if I didn't think these people could take care of our son I wouldn't be here" Sandy said passionately staring intensely into Kirsten's eyes.

There was a long pause.

"Your right, of course your bloody right. Old habits die hard I guess. Sandy Cohen does sometimes know best I guess. I'm just nervous" gushed Kirsten wringing her hands before leaning in to kiss her husband gently (ignoring Seth's mock retch in the background).

"Aw dammit you're just so beautiful, I love you" Sandy smiled.

"It's times like this when I remember why I fell in love with you. You can't half pull off a speech" Kirsten replied taking Sandy's hand.

"Oh and one more thing" Kirsten smiled "Don't ever call me Kirst".

Before Sandy could formulate a witty reply Seth interjected in a slightly wary voice.

"Mum, dad what do you thinks wrong with that kid?" he spoke quietly pointing towards the small unassuming figure attempting to manoeuvre round the hoards of rowdy people.

They all looked at the boy. He was small, around Seth's age and he was hunched over his face contorted in what was unmistakably pain. He grasped his coat round himself in a protective manner and flinched ever so slightly when anyone walked near. The blonde boy had a cloth dripping with blood clutched over his face. He looked like the sort of child who would have been embarrassed if he had been aware how intently he was being assessed by the three people. It was not until the child, who looked so innocent amongst the drunken mob of people, sat in the seat opposite and removed the cloth momentarily them that they could see the extent of his facial injuries. Sandy heard his wife gasp and began to assess the injuries himself.

The small boy's eyes were barely open a swollen, puffy, purple and red mess was all that remained. His nose was at angle, blood encrusted around the nostrils, it was clearly broken. Sandy felt an unfamiliar rage boil up in side of him at the sight of this battered boy, whoever had hurt him deserved unimaginable pain. Who could hurt a boy as small as this? Amongst the mixture of bruising, blood and tear tracks that mottled the slight boy's face were four long, clearly defined gashes. Sandy had seen this before, marks like that could only be made by one thing, a belt. He shuddered in involuntary horror, concern seeping into his mind. If his face was this bad, what about the rest of him.

"Sandy" Kirsten said quietly her voice filled with untameable emotion and dismay. "Who would do that?"

"A monster" Seth said, his voice angry, but not harsh.

Kirsten turned to Sandy waiting for him to say something, a reassurance, a solution. She wasn't sure, just something.

"A belt" Sandy said barely audible.

"What?" Kirsten enquired tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she continued to stare at the little boy whose eyes were now shut and breathing laboured.

"His face, the cuts, there belt lashes" Sandy said seriously his usual light humour absent from his voice.

Kirsten let out a small cry in shock causing the blonde boys eyes to open with a start. He looked round startled. His eyes catching Sandy's for a moment then dropping to his feet subserviently. But in that split second he had bared his soul to Sandy. His pale blue eyes betrayed signs of pain and confusion him far beyond his years.

"We should talk to him" Seth said pityingly "He's all alone, he must be scared".

Kirsten nodded fervently wiping the tears from her eyes, all of a sudden getting up and going to sit a few seats away from the boy, in attempt to not alarm him.

"Um, excuse me" Kirsten spoke nervously, her voice faltering slightly receiving an imploring look from Seth and attempted to continue.

"Are you ok?" she spoke in the kindest voice possible.

The little boy looked up, his blue eyes peeking through his tousled blonde hair.

"M-m-m-me?" he replied in quiet and confused tones, as if no one had ever asked that question before. Kirsten thought it would have been adorable if not so heart-wrenchingly sad.

"Yeah, are you ok?" Kirsten said beaming benignly at him eyes watering.

The boy nodded eyes downcast, Sandy could see Kirsten was at the point of openly weeping so he interjected.

"What's your name son?"

The little boy looked at Sandy with both fear and distrust, Sandy just continued to smile reassuringly until he finally spoke.

"I-I-I-I'm R-R-R-Ry-Ry-Ryan" he stammers, more so than usual, his eyes darting from person to person.

Kirsten went back to sit with Seth, eyes streaming she was barely holding it together. Seth, who was no fan of the hug, wrapped his arms around his distraught mother.

"And how old are you Ryan?" Sandy questioned gently keeping his distance praying he wouldn't frighten Ryan.

"T-t-t-te-ten" he replied clutching his side more firmly as if he was holding himself together.

"Double figures wow, my son's ten too. He's over there" this elicited a friendly wave from Seth "What happened to you?" continued Sandy.

Ryan closed his eyes anguish clear on the very small proportion of his face that wasn't engulfed with bruises and blood.

"Fe-Fell d-dow-down s-some st-st-st-st…" Ryan choked out having trouble with the last word.

"Stairs?" Sandy said sceptically causing Ryan to nod "Now tell us what really happened buddy. I know that's not true. I'm not as silly as I look."

Ryan kept his eyes closed, in an attempt to ignore Sandy, filled with pain and frustration he seemed unable to deal with speaking. Then he suddenly fell forward like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Kirsten screamed a she saw the blood that soaked through the back of his jacket.

Everything happened so fast it was blurry; doctors rushed forward Sandy frantically following them as they took Ryan up to theatre.

Kirsten just sat there mouth agape, tears running down her face.

"Mum" seth asked quietyly fear rasiating through his voice "Is he going to die".

Next xhapter will have more action & sandy-ryan time . Oh and it will probably be ryan POV

Sorry about the wait

But reviews are Sorry about the wait

But reviews are love :P


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